SIDEBAR Spring 2017 - 5

MONTGOMERYBAR.ORG

each of you to engage with the MBA on social media.

Problems with a legal services sales tax are easily identifiable:

In the case of statewide Pennsylvania Bar Association
conferences, opportunities to learn, network, and take the
temperatures of fellow bar associations are invaluable. In places
as varied as St. Kitts and State College, the MBA shared the
concerns and successes of our fellow associations. We have much
to be proud of as an Association.

* The three exemptions are vague, and will be difficult to
categorize for taxation purposes. For instance, is the drafting
of a reciprocal will, creation of a trust, or an Orphans Court
adoption matter, attendant to a divorce, taxable, or not
taxable? In what division?

Lobbying and Tax on Legal Services
The sales tax on legal services is not going to slip quietly into
the night, but, instead, remains a threat within our statewide
property tax reform debate. As it is proposed now, within the
Property Tax Independence Act, all legal services would be under
a sales tax except for three areas: business-to-business services,
domestic relations matters and criminal defense matters. This
is bad for all lawyers, but particularly for small firms and solo
attorneys.

* Increased administrative time and overhead attributable
to accounting for, collecting and reporting the tax, will cause
yet another financial drain on law firms.
* Increased administrative time and overhead caused by
the tax will be passed on to the legal consumer in the form of
service fees, or higher hourly rates, further adding to the cost
of legal services in addition to Senator Argall's tax.
continued on page 6

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SIDEBAR Spring 2017

SIDEBAR Spring 2017 - 1
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https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARFall2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSummer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSpring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARWinter2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSummerFall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSpring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARWinter2019-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARFall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSummer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSpring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARWinter2018-19
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARFall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSummer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/LRSINSIGHT
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSpring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARWinter2017-18
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSummer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/MontgomeryBarAssociation/SIDEBARSpring2017
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